Bowled over by Corfu

The package holiday is Corfu's bread and butter, but there are quieter spots on the island

The beekeeper in Old Perithia sells honey to tourists intrepid enough to make the climb to his hives

Britain has bestowed two significant 'gifts' on Corfu: the game of cricket and the package holiday traveller. Cricket arrived some time after 1814 as, amid the aftershocks that followed the fall of Napoleon, French rule disintegrated and the island came under British guard. In the seventies, we descended again, this time carrying flip-flops and paying for the pleasure. Britons have been visiting in droves ever since, mostly enjoying a handful of resorts that have become pockets of England in the sunshine.

While affection for willow and leather remains strong - cricket matches are regularly played on a perfectly manicured pitch in Corfu Town - the island is cooling its love affair with mass tourism, striving instead to appeal to a more discerning traveller.

The most northerly of the Ionian Islands, Corfu has everything we've come to expect of Greece's greenest atolls: heaven-sent blue waters, cloudless skies, wonderful food and plenty of Greek 'ooopla'. Alongside these natural assets, the island plays host to a rich seam of history, a cosmopolitan capital city – and a fascinating neighbour in Albania.

The package holiday remains Corfu's bread and butter. Several resorts are shrines to karaoke, all-day breakfast and Premiership football - essential ingredients for those seeking familiarity as well as sunshine. The brashest example is Kavos, Corfu's answer to Faliraki, which skulks in the south of the island like the unruly son Corfiots would rather you didn't bump into. Thankfully, such resorts are self-contained, and large swathes of the island, particularly around the interior, remain untouched by the British footprint.

CV Travel's Lithari villa near Kassiopi in north east Corfu

The north-east, around the quiet-ish resort of Kassiopi, has managed to escape the happy-hour brigade, and is slowly amassing an impressive collection of luxury holiday properties. Villas with infinity pools, landscaped gardens and ensuite rooms have sprung up on the gentle lower slopes of the mountains. The area is sufficiently rural to ensure that said villas homes are surrounded by lemon trees, olive groves and vineyards - and high enough to guarantee uninterrupted views of Albania, as it broods on the horizon.

This portion of Corfu is gloriously green - although that's not to say that it's an isolated case. The entire island has benefited from a scheme put in place during 15th century Venetian rule that saw citizens rewarded for planting olive trees. Where the latter don't grow, tall Cypress trees do, along with more than 250 varieties of plants and flowers.

There is plenty of scope for exploration amid all this idyllic scenery. The main street that winds down to Kassiopi's natural harbour hasn't quite escaped the touch of mass tourism - English pubs, a Chinese restaurant and the obligatory karaoke bars lurk among authentic tavernas - but don't let this put you off. The harbour itself is a lovely spot for an aperitif.

There are further treasures to be found along the winding roads that sprout from the coastal highway. Agios Stefanos, a horseshoe bay at the end of a precarious cliff-top road a few kilometres south of Kassiopi, wouldn't look out of place on the Italian Riviera - thanks partly to the well-heeled crowd sat outside its handful of upmarket seafood restaurants.

Elsewhere, a bumpy ride down a dirt track will often be rewarded with a pebbly beach, a couple of tavernas and a show-stopping view. One such bay is Agni, between Kalami and Nissaki. A recently-hewn road means you can now drive to this sublime sweep of beach, but a water-taxi from one of the nearby bays is the best way to arrive. Taverna Agni (www.agni.gr) serves up food worthy of the setting, including crispy courgettes, home-made humus and stifado (beef stew), amongst other local dishes.

Away from the coast, Corfu's rugged interior has remained largely undisturbed by the foreign visitor. The deserted grey-stone village of Old Perithia, at the summit of a snaking road between Kassiopi and Acharavi, offers a snapshot of life on Corfu as it might once have been. Only a handful of people live year-round among the ramshackle houses, one of them a beekeeper who sells honey to tourists intrepid enough to climb the 300 metres to his hives. A couple more tavernas offer unfussy food and do a good trade in the summer months. Celebrity chef Rick Stein visited the village for his BBC series Mediterranean Escapes. Photos of Mr Padstow now adorn the menu board.

Eating on Corfu is a delight. Tavernas are cheap (10 Euros for a main meal and a beer) and serve all the Greek fare you'd expect – hunks of alabaster-white feta cheese, stuffed vine leaves and deliciously creamy yoghurt – alongside island specialities including cocoretsi (offal-stuffed sausages) and spanakopita (flaky pastry and spinach).

The colourful main street in Corfu's old town

Corfu Town, the capital, is also worth a visit. The island's past as an object of conquest for various European powers has left a mark on the city's architecture, with grand French-style colonnades sitting alongside elegant Italianate buildings. Clouds of flowers hang over the narrow streets, which bustle with shore-leave cruise passengers. Olive and kumquat (sweet, orange fruits) products reign supreme in the shops, along with a wide array of t-shirts, toys and trinkets. In the evenings, Mediterranean glamour descends and people-watching becomes the pastime of choice, particularly on the Main Square.

There are souvenirs aplenty for sale in Kassiopi

Leaving the island is easy. Regular ferry services leave Corfu Town (not necessarily on time) for the increasingly popular Albanian resort of Saranda, an hour-long hop across the sea. Albania's bid for EU membership has pricked the tourist consciousness, and visitors are beginning to trickle in from Corfu and mainland Greece. In spite of its tumultuous past - Albania only emerged from a totalitarian regime in the early nineties – there is no avoiding the fact that the glorious Corfu landscape is replicated across the narrow channel of water. (Read more on Jo's visit to Albania here.)

With a little planning, a luxury Corfu villa holiday needn't cost the earth. Team a budget airline (BA, Monarch or Excel) with out-of-season prices (the sun shines here from May until October) and a gaggle of loved ones, and you'll have better value than any package deal. Even better, you'll experience the island as Corfiots would wish: minus the crowds, but with all the soul-soothing views and mouth-watering meze you could wish for...

Travel facts A week-long stay at the Villa Lithari (pictured above)which sleeps six near Kassiopi costs from £440 to £785 a head, via CV Travel (0870 6060013, www.cvtravel.co.uk). Prices are based on six sharing and include return flights from Gatwick, transfers, maid service and hamper.